Wednesday, February 14, 2018

It's a romance writer's favorite time of year! Happy Valentine's Day to one and all. Whether you're going out with your honey or staying home with a book or movie, I hope you have a terrific day full of all the sweet things. Cheers!

Saturday, February 03, 2018

I have begun my year as I do most years, with the intent of writing at least one page per day in my current work in progress. I was sidetracked for about a week when everything at home went sideways because of a basement flood (which we and our more expensive things survived), but overall I have managed to maintain my goal. I had taken a long break after finishing FIRE because I was burnt out, and I needed to recharge or, as we writers put it, "refill the well." It took a lot of refilling, more than a year of writing listlessly and not regularly. Like a muscle too taxed with overwork, my "writing brain" was worn out and in need of a rest. No amount of pretty stationery or writing goodies could coerce me to get words out.

Then, 2018 rolled over. I knew it was time to get back on the proverbial horse.

I won't lie. At first, it sucked. Writing one paragraph was an effort. I tend to edit as I go, so that what I put on the page is as clean as I can get it in my head before I type it out. I have never been able to shut off that internal editor. My personal best is only thirteen pages or so in one day. I have learned that in about half an hour I can get out one page of "pretty good" work. (That's one page, formatted, for those of you who wonder, about 250 words, and "pretty good" means it's mostly clean work that has already had its first pass of edits.) Some days it's less effort than others, but if I have managed that much for a day, I call it a win.

You First

Over time, this PITA page a day that (to me) was just crummy writing started to become better writing again. It became less work. Any writer will tell you, we live with hundreds and maybe thousands of imaginary people in our heads, who have conversations and interactions with one another. Many of these imagined scenes become fodder for our books, and nothing is more frustrating than when your imaginary people stop talking. That's what happened to me for more than a year. NONE of my characters would talk on their own. I had to make up stuff I thought they might say and do, rather than have that lightning strike of inspiration appear in my head without provocation. And I really, REALLY missed that lightning strike, because it's the joy that keeps every writer going in the hope that it happens again.

Then something funny happened. My characters seemed to start trusting me again, as if *I* had abandoned them and they were sulking somewhere in my head. After a couple of weeks of daily at-the-keyboard effort on my part, they started talking to me spontaneously, instead of me dragging the dialogue and actions out of them. In fact, the main character essentially told me, "Look, I see you've painted yourself into a corner with this plot thread, so I'm gonna help you fix it. Here's how," and the scene rewrote itself in my head.

Hallelujah. Lightning strike. I was so happy to have that happen for the first time in many, many months. You can call it pre-writing, or plotting, or whatever you like, but for me, the best work happens when my characters are "talking" to me. They were just waiting for me to do some work first.

Staying on Track

No one can tell you how to do your best writing. Whether you're a plotter or pantser, storyboarder or Scrivener fan, you know how best to get those words out of yourself. The common thread is to make what works best for you a habit. Then, it's not as much work; it's just something you do. You can always go back and edit the words, as long as you have words to edit. Just keep at it.

NEW FROM NICKI

About Me

Nicki Greenwood graduated SUNY Morrisville with a degree in Natural
Resources, which of course has nothing to do with writing novels. She
has also worked in a bakery, an insurance agency, a flower shop, and a
doctor's office, which have nothing to do with writing, either. She did
spend an awesome two years as an assistant editor for a publisher, and
now does freelance editing on the side. Nicki still holds down a day
job, which manages to get her out of the house once in a while. Since
2010, she has written eight novels, including the award-winning Gifted
Series.

Nicki lives in upstate New York with her husband, son, and assorted
pets. If you can't find her at her computer, you can always try the
local Renaissance Faire.

The Critter List

Red Admiral Butterfly on Common DandelionPhoto (c) Nicki Greenwood. May not be used without express written permission.

About The Critter List

Nicki lives in a suburban neighborhood in Upstate NY. She enjoys creating habitat for wildlife of all kinds, especially birds and pollinators. Below is a list of species confirmed either by visual ID, or in the case of birds, occasionally their songs. This list is proof that if you do away with pesticides, even a residential area can be full of wildlife for you and your family to enjoy!

The Critter List

American Crow

American Goldfinch

American Robin

Barred Owl

Black-Capped Chickadee

Blue Jay

Cabbage White Butterfly

Canada Goose

Carpenter Bee

Cherry-Faced Meadowhawk Dragonfly

Citrine Forktail Damselfly

Clouded Sulphur Butterfly

Common Eastern Bumblebee

Common Grackle

Cricket

Dark-Eyed Junco

Downy Woodpecker

Eastern Cottontail Rabbit

Eastern Gray Squirrel

European Starling

Giant Swallowtail Butterfly

Gray Catbird

Great Blue Heron

Groundhog

Honeybee

House Finch

House Sparrow

Mallard

Monarch Butterfly

Mourning Cloak Butterfly

Mourning Dove

Northern Cardinal

Pileated Woodpecker

Potter Wasp

Question Mark Butterfly

Red Admiral Butterfly

Red-Bellied Woodpecker

Ruby-Throated Hummingbird

Song Sparrow

Turkey Vulture

Indoor Plants List

Compact Boston Fern (Nephrolepis exaltata 'Compacta')Photo (c) Nicki Greenwood. May not be used without express written permission.

About the Indoor Plants List

Did you know the air quality inside your home is worse than the air outside? In addition to carbon dioxide, there are toxins such as benzene, formaldehyde, and trichloroethylene off-gassing into your home from the many fixtures and finishes inside it. What can you do?

Add plants! Indoor plants act like living filters, removing toxins from the air. In return for a little TLC, they provide better air quality, reduce stress, improve health and sleep, and give you something fresh and green to look at when it's snowy or stormy outside. Here are some of the hardy specimens Nicki has grown in her home. The require little more than occasional watering and proper lighting. (A quick Internet search will help you care for these plants in your own home.)